The Hearts of Theives
by Calliope3243
Summary: Set abstractly after the end of the first book, these one-shots explore the different relationships among the Crows.
1. Kaz and Inej

**Disclaimer: Not my characters  
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Thunder cracked loudly, and Kaz's leg throbbed in sympathy. He was only a couple steps away from his rooms at the top of the Crow Club, and still his body tried to convince him that it might not be a bad idea to simply lie down and fall asleep where he stood. He'd slept in less comfortable conditions before.

He felt Inej's presence behind him, soundlessly waiting for him to get to the top and unlock the door. It was her waiting that convinced him to haul himself up the last few steps, cane clunking softly on each as he went.

He unlocked the door with barely a thought, reaching up to pull the dove grey tie from around his neck, tossing it and his coat on a small stool by the fireplace. Both were coated in thick mud, a gift from the unexpected deluge they'd been caught in on their way back from a job.

He glanced at Inej. She was pulling off her black climbing gloves and hooking them into her belt, though she seemed less eager to remove her muddy clothes than he did. That almost made him grin. There was a time when the thought of undressing in front of another person would have made his skin crawl and his stomach clench. With Inej, he barely spared it a thought.

Kaz quickly unbuttoned his shirt, tossing it aside with the other discarded items of clothing. There was a large basin of steaming water sitting on a table in the center of the room, likely placed there by the housekeeper when she'd seen the rain before he and Inej returned. People like that were a blessing on nights like this. He carefully removed his gloves and set them gently beside the basin; he'd have to clean them carefully after he'd finished with himself.

He grabbed a washcloth off the table, dipping it in the water and letting out a very soft sigh as the warm water chased the mud and the cold from his skin. He glanced at Inej, who still stood silently by the doorway. "There's a cloth for you here too."

Inej shrugged, face impassive, though she didn't meet his eyes directly. "I can get cleaned up in my own room."

"True, but right now you're dripping mud all over the carpet, which I'm sure the cleaning staff will _thoroughly_ appreciate."

Inej rolled her eyes at him, but stalked over to the basin, dipping a washcloth in the water and swiping it over her face. Kaz focused on cleaning himself, trying not to watch from his peripheral vision as her brown skin flushed from the heat of the water.

She must have caught him looking, though, as she met his eyes with an opaque stare, dropping the cloth back in the water and reaching to unfasten her shirt. Kaz thought he should probably look away, but the way she stared him down was like a dare, and Kaz Dirtyhands Brekker never backed down from a dare.

Inej's hands deftly slid each button through it's hole, and in no time she was tossing her shirt into his pile of dirty clothes. Beneath, she wore an undershirt specially designed to remain tight against her chest without impeding the movement of her torso. When he'd asked her about it months ago, she'd shrugged, blushing slightly. "Female acrobats wear them. It gives us free range of movement without worrying about anything… popping free."

He'd nodded mutely at the time, amused by her embarrassment.

Now he watched as she worked a series of ties at the back, loosening the wet garment enough that she could pull it over her head. At this, he looked down, noting absently that the water in the basin had already turned a slight brown from their washing.

Thunder rumbled briefly outside. Inej reached into the basin, pulling out her washcloth and squeezing, the trickle of water plinking in counterpoint to the rain tapping the window outside. Kaz's eyes followed the cloth as she brought it to her collarbone, sweeping it across her shoulders and squeezing so that rivulets of water ran down her chest and between her breasts. Kaz watched a particular line of water run over her breast and drip off the tip.

He swallowed. Normally, the sight of other people's bared skin made him slightly nauseous and uncomfortable. His mind conjuring up images of dull, bloated skin and empty, staring faces.

Now, however, in the flickering light of the room's candles, Inej's skin glowed like warm, polished wood, her pulse beating noticeably under the skin of her neck.

Kaz's muscles tensed, mouth going dry. He had so rarely felt this sort of desire. The bared skin and ample cleavage of most pleasure-workers made him nauseous. Even with covered skin, he had a hard time focusing on sexual desire when the thought of another person touching him sent him into a mild panic. But with Inej, heat flowed across his skin, and his heart picked up a heavy, staccato rhythm that drove the air from his lungs in soft puffs.

"Say it." Her voice was barely more than a whisper, almost drowned out by the distant rolling of thunder.

Kaz dropped his cloth in the basin with a soft plop. He could feel the words weighing on his tongue like hot chocolate, heavy and sweet. "I want you," he said, already gravelly voice turned rough with emotion.

She reached out slowly to brush fingers against his cheek, as she had at the Ice Court. Her fingers were hot against his cold cheek, and he shivered, for once not out of revulsion. He had an impossible want to taste her skin, to feel the heat of her life pulse against his mouth. Inej's lips were parted, moving slightly as she breathed in and out.

He leaned forward, terror and desire constricting and expanding his lungs in turn. His lips barely brushed hers, and he trembled. Her breath sighed across his lips.

"Without armor," she mouthed, the words pressing their mouths closer together.

He rested a careful hand against her neck, feeling it throb with blood under his touch. Her tongue brushed across his lips, and he shivered but did not pull away. His mouth molded itself to hers, and he groaned softly. He saw where this could go. He would draw her to him, desperately crushing her chest against his to feel the beat of her heart against his skin. He would tremble, torn between running and wanting her, and she would hold him tighter, enveloping him in her warmth.

And something in him would break. A good thing, because he would melt into her, and she would hold him together, his Wraith. She would wipe the tears from his eyes and guide him when he felt like he was about to loose himself.

And he would hold her afterward, afraid of what would happen to him when her skin left his.

He bent his head to her neck, tongue pressing against her pulse-point.

"Kaz." Her breath ruffled his hair.

"Kaz…" Her voice was deeper, louder.

He peeled his eyes open to a dim room. Nina knelt near his bed, keeping a respectful distance. Even in the dark, he could see the circles under her eyes and the way her skin clung tightly to the bones of her face. "Brekker. Jesper is back. You said to wake you when he returned."

Kaz let out a gust of breath, pushing aside the confusing dream. No point in dwelling on dreams of Inej when she was still held captive. "I'll be right there."

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 **I thoroughly enjoyed exploring the relationship between Inej and Kaz, particularly since he struggles so much with physical intimacy. I like to think that Kaz is a very sensory person, and that his coping mechanism would be to focus on the tactile things that run counter to his experiences as a child. I was also intrigued by the concept of a person who wants to feel desire for another person, but has so little experience with even that.**

 **Let me know what you think! I'm planning two more chapters which will be up depending on how quickly I have the time/inspiration to get them down.**


	2. Nina and Matthias

**As it turns out, I become very productive when Netflix is down late at night. As a result, Chapter 2!**

 **Again, not my characters, but I do love them.**

Nina settled herself on the small pallet that served as her temporary bed. The crew had rented out a small space in a district far removed from their usual territory. Kaz hadn't wanted to spend much of their newly acquired funds on lodging for, as he put it, they would need "every penny to bring Inej home safe." So their accommodations were small and not very nice.

Nina agreed with him, though the space left them very little room for privacy. Luckily, Nina had been given her own bed in a closet-like room. Nobody talked about it, but she knew it was because they still worried for her health. _She_ worried for her health. Though her withdrawal symptoms had largely abated in the time since she'd taken _jurda_ _parem_ , she was still immensely tired more often than not, and using even the smallest amount of her abilities gave her a headache.

She closed her eyes, leaning against the wall and beginning the breathing practices she'd learned in Grisha schooling. She was still too weak to be of much use to the crew, but she was forcing herself to strengthen her body and powers for Inej's sake. Though the meditation made her impossibly sleepy, she forced herself to perform it as often as possible, gaining slow control of her body and mind.

She was just beginning to settle into a steady rhythm when she felt a solid body settle next to her. Without opening her eyes, she could tell it was Matthias. No one else in the crew had his solid bulk, and, even in her weakened state, her magic recognized the steady thump of his heart. Nina let out a large breath, leaning over and settling her head where she knew his shoulder would be.

He took her hand. "Is that the correct way to practice breathing?"

She chuckled, eyes closed. "No."

His thumb skated across her knuckles in soothing sweeps. "Is Jesper back?"

Nina nodded.

They sat in silence for a time. Listening to the faint creak of wood and murmur of voices in their hideout.

"This must be hard for you," Matthias murmured.

"Losing Inej? I suppose, though I think it's much harder on Kaz."

She felt his shoulders sag as he sighed. "No, I mean… living here. In your state. When you're used to much… finer things."

Nina looked up at him through her lashes. "Do you mean my rooms at the pleasure house?"

Matthias blushed so red she could see it in the dimness of the room.

She smiled. "They were nice, I guess. But they never felt quite comfortable. I didn't even have a bed, so this pallet is a nice upgrade." She patted the thin blanket by her leg.

"No bed?"

Nina lifted her head from his shoulder. "I didn't want my customers getting the wrong idea."

She could see him struggling with the word "customers." She picked up his hand in both of hers, looking at him through hooded eyes and adopting the deep, wise voice she'd put on for clients. "My child, if you continue to blush as you are, I fear your fair, northern skin will be stained a permanent red. And not even a Corporalnik as powerful as I will be able to fix it."

She could see him fighting a smile. He squeezed her hand, and she settled back down against his side. "I imagine this act works better when you look not so tired."

Nina shrugged. "You'd be surprised. A wise and world-weary heartrender makes much better tips than a wakeful, peppy one."

Matthias smirked. Again, they settled into silence, and Nina suspected that they were both reveling in the ability to be close to each other without one of them wanting to kill the other. Since they'd returned from the Ice Court, they had both looked for excuses to touch each other: holding hands, brushing shoulders, and so on. Nina had feared that because of his Fjerdan upbringing he would be hesitant about physical affection. She'd been pleasantly surprised to find that he had no problem touching her, though that might change when things between them got more… intimate.

Nina wasn't sure how to broach the subject with him. She was by no means shy about sex – living in a brothel ensured that – but she had no way of measuring how much experience, or trepidation, Matthias had. She was fairly certain that he was a virgin, he'd made that fairly evident in the days after their shipwreck, but there was a good deal of grey area between being a virgin and having no experience at all. Nina herself was less experienced than she let on. She'd had a lover or two at school, but nothing that amounted to an extensive, adult relationship. Of course, she had a great deal of second-hand knowledge from the girls at the brothel. She'd found that one of the girls' favorite pastimes was gossiping about clients.

Still, all that gave her very little ground to stand on when it came to gauging her relationship with Matthias. And though most of her mind was consumed with getting well for their upcoming rescue mission, at times like this she wondered where their physical intimacy would lead.

"You know, I've just realized that I have a promise that I failed to keep with you," she sighed playfully.

She could feel the huff of air leave his chest in an almost-laugh. "Eternal torture for hunting your brethren?"

She rolled her eyes, though he couldn't see. "Not even close. Back at the Ice Court I promised to kiss you unconscious when the job was over."

He took in a quick breath. "I remember. Though I think it would take a great deal of kissing to make a man unconscious."

She lifted her head from his shoulder, meeting his eyes. His gaze was steady, though his pupils were dilated and there was a slight flush in his cheeks. "It probably would."

She bent her head so that their noses brushed, but remained there. She wanted him to close the remaining distance. Though he had kissed her forehead and knuckles while tending to her after the _jurda_ _parem,_ they had never truly kissed.

Matthias's breath mingled with hers, creating a warm swirl of air between them. She could almost feel his muscles tense and loosen as he leaned forward to brush his mouth with hers. Nina's nerve endings raced with sensation and she could just feel her pulse pounding through her lips. Matthias's lips parted and she leaned forward, pressing their mouths more tightly together.

Matthias let out a shaky breath, his hand cautiously reaching up to tuck itself in her hair. She placed a hand on his chest, moving to her knees to give their lips a better angle. She felt the rumble of almost-noises reverberate deep in his lungs.

The kissing deepened, tongues and teeth making tiny appearances, and Nina found herself getting woozy with breathlessness. She pulled back slightly to take in a breath, and Matthias moved to plant soft kisses on her neck. His free arm wrapped around her waist, and she let out a pleased sigh.

Suddenly, the arm at her waist tightened, pulling her closer while simultaneously flipping her onto her back on the pallet. Matthias hovered over her briefly, pupils fully dilated and lips swollen from kissing. She pulled him down to her, kissing him fiercely. He returned the kiss with equal passion, and they kissed intensely for a seemingly-infinite amount of time.

Nina was just starting to feel the stirrings of powerful desire when Matthias pulled back, lifting himself a few inches off her body. They were both gasping for air now, and she noticed that he was _definitely_ feeling the same stirrings she had been.

"We…um…we should…" he stuttered, swallowing heavily.

She placed a hand on his cheek gently. "I know. It's ok. I'm not sure I'm in much of a state for it anyway," she said, noting how exhausted she felt after just their kissing.

He must have noticed, for he leaned in and kissed her sweetly on the forehead before pushing himself onto his knees. "Then sleep. I must take watch soon anyway."

Nina nodded, squeezing his hand before allowing herself to be tucked in. He gave her a long, almost shy look before turning to leave. To her surprise, she was asleep before the sound of his footsteps had completely faded.

 **Sadly, that's it for Nina and Matthias. It just seems too OOC for them to go any further when Matthias is so inexperienced and Nina is not doing so hot. Still, I hope I captured their characters faithfully. I had the idea that Nina would sometimes think in terms of anatomy since that is her specialty. I tried not to make it too overwhelming, but it does make sense to me for her character.**

 **Next I get to move on to a couple I'm particularly excited about: Jesper and Wylan. Their teasing and banter are either going to be incredibly fun or impossibly difficult. As always, review if you have any thoughts on this chapter or wants for the next one!**


	3. Jesper and Wylan

**Final chapter ready to go! I've actually never written romance between gay characters, so please let me know if all goes well.**

 **Like always, I did not conceive of these characters and therefore claim no ownership.**

Jesper groaned quietly, rubbing a hand over his face and pushing back his hair. Kaz had _not_ been pleased to hear how little Jesper had discovered in his scouting. He hadn't yelled, or even threatened Jesper's appendages, which was a rarity. But the frosty silence was perhaps worse. Jesper had a feeling that there was a storm building in Kaz ever since Inej had been taken. He didn't exactly want to be in Kaz's line of sight when that storm burst.

Jesper had settled himself against the railing of a wooden walkway that circled the second floor of their current hideout. Most of it was rotting, and this stable section only looked onto the side of a massive, windowless building, but he found that it was better than the miserable darkness inside the hideout. Everyone in there was too quiet, too afraid of setting Kaz off or waking Nina from the sleep she so desperately needed to recover.

Jesper's fingers twitched. It had been weeks since he'd sat at a card table, and he was sorely tempted to sneak off and play a quick game or two at the nearest gaming house. He'd had to take a wide detour around some districts on his scouting mission, and even then he'd wasted good time standing and listening to the drunken gamblers entering and leaving the houses. It was pathetic, and he knew it.

The second thing he was tempted to do was pull out one of his guns and start shooting at the wall, just for the satisfaction of hitting something. But Kaz had looked like Jesper was about to take his last breath when he'd started shooting at rats the other day. He'd growled something about the meaning of a _secret_ hideout before punching him hard in the face. Jesper's right eye was still a bit sensitive to the touch.

The third thing Jesper was tempted to do-

A loud creak sounded to Jesper's left. He swiveled, drawing and aiming one of his guns at the sound.

Wylan froze, flinching away from the sight of the barrel.

Jesper sighed, though the corners of his mouth twitched. He dropped the gun in his lap and knocked his head back against the railing behind him, eyes closed. "The boards closer to the wall are sturdier. The whole thing gets stable about five feet from me."

He heard another loud creak as Wylan edged closer to the wall, muttering under his breath.

"What was that?" Jesper called, eyes still closed.

"I said, 'what would make you want to sit out on this gods-cursed death trap?'"

Jesper grinned evilly. "I like living dangerously. Gives life flavor, don't you think?"

He heard Wylan sigh, moving to settle next to him against the railing. "Are you drunk?"

He snorted. "Don't I wish, Merchling." He kept his eyes closed, head leaned back. He didn't want to admit it, but he'd rather not look at Wylan's decidedly unsettling face. Thankfully, the magicking Nina had placed on the boy was starting to fade, albeit slowly. Wylan's hair was now a confusing mix of black and gold, the colors blending into a muddy brown where they met. It was curly again. In fact, his curls were the very first thing he'd gotten back after Nina had changed him. His skin was still darker than usual, though, and his face was in the process of settling back into his natural features, which was more unsettling than the hair.

Jesper felt the bannister shake as Wylan adjusted his back against it. "Kaz decided that I look little enough like Kuwei that I can come outside. Though I'm still not allowed to leave the hideout."

"You still look right strange, Merchling."

He heard Wylan's sigh of annoyance. "I am aware of that fact. I'm starting to get my eyes back, though."

Jesper reluctantly opened his eyes. Wylan's wide ones were staring back at him, as if daring him to look away like he had so often lately. It was true, though. The amber-gold of Kuewi's eyes had receded to the edges of Wylan's irises, leaving his natural color in it's wake. It was still gods-cursed strange, but Jesper found that he could look Wylan in the eye now without discomfort.

"That's right pretty, Merchling. Maybe you should ask Nina to keep 'em that way."

Wylan rolled his eyes, looking away. "Is there any chance you'll stop calling me that?"

Jesper shrugged. "Not much, to be honest."

"Delightful."

There was a long silence. They both stared at the wall, listening to the creaking of other crew members as they moved through the hideout.

"Do you really think we can pull this one?" Wylan asked quietly.

Jesper sucked in a deep breath. "If anyone can, it's Kaz. Especially where Inej is concerned."

"And if we can't?"

Jesper glanced over at Wylan. He was biting the end of his thumb in the way that said he was thinking hard, a furrow of concern between his brows. "Then I don't like your father's odds of surviving," Jesper said quietly.

Wylan's only reaction was to let the thumb slide from between his lips and fall into his lap. Jesper watched it's progress. "You don't seem too upset by that."

Wylan turned fierce eyes on him. "One tends to lose his filial sympathy when his father calls him such a disappointment that he commands the destruction of the ship he thinks his son is on."

Jesper nodded slowly. "I guess that would do it, yeah."

They lapsed into silence for a time, this one more awkward than the first. Jesper tapped his fingers against his leg, while Wylan sat woodenly, staring straight ahead.

Finally, Jesper let out a heavy sigh. "I, uh…read the letters your father sent you."

Wylan nodded as if he'd surmised as much. "Anything particularly interesting in them?"

Jesper snorted. "Boring merch nonsense mostly."

The corner of Wylan's mouth twitched. "I suppose I should be thankful I couldn't read them, then."

Jesper chuckled. "Probably saved you a lotta time, yeah." He coughed. "At the time, I thought your father had thrown you out because…well, not because of _that_."

Wylan looked slowly at Jesper. "Because of what, then?"

Jesper was struck by the directness of the comment. Ever since he'd confronted his father, Wylan's confidence had grown. He was a little less innocent, a little less happy, but he'd shocked most of the crew with his newfound backbone.

He swallowed, meeting Wylan's confusing eyes. "Because you'd rather be 'talking equations' with boys than girls."

Wylan leaned toward him slightly, a smile playing at the corners of his mouth. "That's also true."

For a breath, they both sat like that, still as statues. Then Jesper closed the distance between them, pressing his lips firmly against Wylan's. He felt Wylan's breath stutter against his mouth, then Wylan reached out to grasp Jesper's shoulder and capture his lower lip between his own.

Jesper groaned softly, his own hand reaching out to grip Wylan's side. In a moment, he forgot about Wylan's altered appearance. He forgot about the fact that Inej was missing and that they were about to take on what was likely their most deadly job yet. He even forgot about his need to be at the gambling houses.

He reached up to slide his fingers through Wylan's soft curls, gripping them like he'd occasionally imagined doing when the boy had first joined the crew, hair flopping in his face as he worked on this explosive device or that. Wylan curled closer to him, lips parting and crushing against his own.

Suddenly, there was a creak and tap of the hideout door opening and closing, and Jesper looked up. The door was around the corner, but whomever had come outside would only have to take a few steps to see them. Wylan was staring at the corner with wide eyes, cheeks flushed and lips parted in horrible embarrassment. Jesper grinned, pressing a hard kiss into those lips, before standing quickly. He leered playfully down at Wylan, who was looking adorably ruffled. "I suppose I'll have to finish this some other time," he sighed. He turned and walked toward the corner, pressing his lips together to keep from grinning stupidly at the shocked look he imagined Wylan was giving him.

Today had turned out _much_ better than he expected.

 **I have to admit, that was a lot of fun. I decided to give Wylan a bit more confidence and directness than is described in the book, because I think we saw a glimmer of those when he confronted his father as Kuwei. I also think that his relationship with Jesper would fall flat if he was always the shy and embarrassed one. I also decided to let Wylan's features start going back to his own, though I have no idea if that is going to happen in future books. It just felt weird if he didn't. As requested, though, I did add a bit of conflict within Jesper about his appearance. Other than that, I decided to write Jesper as someone confident in his sexuality, though perhaps a bit awkward about asking Wylan about his.**

 **Unfortunately, I think this is going to have to be it for this story. I've found that it is** ** _very_** **difficult to write within the nebulous space between a published and unpublished book, since there are so many questions that have yet to be answered. Perhaps I'll write more when there is more out. Still, I have very much enjoyed playing with these characters, and I hope you all have enjoyed these little moments I've created.**


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